Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Nowadays, people talk about the weather when there's nothing else to talk about. The words mean less than the attitude, tone people say them. But for a tea farmer, the weather is of paramount importance. Cold or hot, dry or rainy, these factors will have a huge impact on the timing and quality of his harvest.

This winter, in northern Taiwan, the weather is the last subject any farmer wants to talk about. But there is no way to avoid it. This winter harvest season, the Wenshan area saw record rainfalls. And despite the best processing techniques, additional roasting... all winter samples I tasted were lacking something. (And many leaves were not harvested at all!)

Farmers remain at the mercy of the weather, while tea drinkers have the flexibility to go and buy elsewhere. But it did not feel right to abandon my trusted friend in this difficult time. So, I restocked some of his remaining spring 2011 'subtropical forest' Baozhong, a similar batch, harvested on May 5th. (It was so much better than the winter version ; time actually seems to have opened up its aromas). I also liked his Top Qizhong Oolong (similar to this one), roasted 5 times this September, using spring 2008 top quality leaves).

And finally, I also bought this lightly oxidized, flowery, organic Baozhong (made with luanze/qingxin Oolong). It was harvested on November 23, 2011, between the winter and the Dong Pian season, after the rain had stopped. Its character is light, sweet with a fine, zesty aftertaste. The leaves are big and still include stems. The brew doesn't have a good transparency (rain), but the soft and fresh taste should please all those who like their Baozhong unroasted.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

A quilt, made by my loving mother, is the obligatory background for this American holiday tea set up!

I was 'shooting' for a turkey, but instead settled for my 'dragon and phoenix' silver teapot!

A green tea would be a great match for the silver teapot, but during the fall season, a young, raw, wild puerh will bring more warmth. So, for this special day, I flake some leaves from my best young cake (the 2006 spring Lincang).

The cups are those inspired by the Yuan dynasty and made by David Louveau de la Guigneraye at my request.

And this brings me to (some) things I'm thankful for:- having potter friends who share my passion for tea and create items for our use. - the amazing teas that find their way to me and give me so much pleasure and energy,- the many tea friends and contacts I have met or corresponded with.

In general, I'm very grateful that, thanks to my tea blog, I can live and share my passion with all of you. I thank you so much for all your support, orders, feedback... (7 years and counting!)

Wood fired bowl by David Louveau

"Double Happiness" is a character used as auspicious symbol at weddings in China. Thus, with this qinghua jar, I also want to thank my wife for her inspiration, support and love. 9 years ago, she registered me to a class with Teaparker that changed my life! I'm truly blessed to have her by my side.

As a loving mother, she is the core of our family. Honoring her is thanking for the biggest gift of all, love.

In this spirit, I wish you all a great Thanksgiving with your families!

Among the hard core of loose tea leaves drinkers, red tea is usually considered the least interesting. Oolong, puerh and green tea are held in much higher esteem. The reason for this is probably the fact that red tea has become synonym with cheap, mass market tea (bags)! Thanks to Robert Fortune, the English were able to break China's monopoly on red tea in the mid 19th century. They helped India produce red tea cheaper, but this also came at the expense of quality. However, from the mid 17th century until 1850, Lapsang Souchong and Qimen red, for example, were highly sought after by Europe's aristocracy. Huge sums of gold and silver were exchanged for this liquid delicacy. Fine red tea was a pleasure reserved for the most refined palates and its top quality had to match the price.

This old arbor Dian Hung brings us back to the roots of top quality red tea. It all starts with the leaves:- small leaves and buds: they contain the highest, freshest notes, the least bitterness and the most concentration,- spring harvest: the best season to harvest tender tea buds- high altitude, semi wild old trees: a pristine, clean environment where trees grow naturally and slowly.

The oxidation process gives more body and heavier fragrances to the tea leaves. So, it's amazing how clean and light this tea feels when it enters the mouth and is swallowed. A fresh sweetness with ripe, brown sugar fragrances. And the lasting, powerful, round and sweet aftertaste is even more impressive!

It's a tea that is best brewed with few leaves and long brews of just boiled hot water.

This tea is a good fit for the holiday seasons (for reasons I will develop in a coming article). However, today, I wanted to brew it with a Chinese style Cha Xi, as I would with an Oolong or a puerh. The main difference is my choice of a small porcelain teapot, because porcelain is a good match with red tea: the fragrances are rendered clear and neutral. The qingbai porcelain contrasts with the red brew and emphasizes the freshness and natural fragrances of this sweet and deep Dian Hung.

The brew is light yellow with touch of green. It's very clear and transparent: its turbidity level is close to zero.

FragrancesVery fresh, fine and flowery. Almost like a perfume!

TasteDespite the long brew, there's no astringency or bitterness. True to its season, this winter harvest is very sweet, in a light way. And this feeling lingers on with a zesty freshness for several minutes.

The choice of a blue Cha Bu came as, after weeks of cloudy weather, this tea reminded me of a blue mountain sky!

The leaves are thick and very concentrated. But the finest notes come from the little buds growing between the leaves and the stem.

Shan Lin Shi's character is finesse and elegance. The winter season's light and long sweetness underlines these traits. The fresh taste almost feels like the fine bubbles of Champagne!...

The Qinghua decoration style on porcelain was popularized by the Mongols during the Yuan dynasty. The blue on white reminded the nomadic tribes of the big sky in the steppes of Asia.

This qinghua jar has now become the fitting keeper of my blue sky, the winter Shan Lin Shi Oolong.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

In late 2009, CCTV, China's State television has made a series of 5 documentaries on Wu Yi tea. And they even translated them into English! They show the wonderful landscapes in which the best rock teas grow. There is also quite a lot of historical and cultural information. The majority of the information is good, but some of is not. Also, at times it sounds more like propaganda (or advertising) than a documentary. There's a lot to criticize, but I did find it very interesting to watch, if only just for the beauty of these sacred mountains, the origin of both red tea and Oolong tea:

In Part 3, the documentary mentions Robert Fortune, the Scottish botanist who stole/acquired Chinese tea plants and seeds and introduced them in India in the middle of the 19th Century. If you want to study this story in more detail, I recommend his (free, online) book "A journey to the tea countries of China, including Song-Lo and the Bohea hills". His description of Woo-e-shan in Chapter XIII shows his amazement: " I had expected to see a wonderful sight when I reached this place, but I must confess the scene far surpassed any ideas I had formed respecting it."